The Probe

After scientists discovered the fracture in space and time, the next step was to send the probe through the portal in order to determine to what point in time the fracture led. When scientists could not locate the probe, they deduced that the probe had entered a separate time-stream, meaning that there would be no risk to the future if history was altered. The probe was later placed inside the Terra Nova colony atop a large stone pillar, that some of the settlers, including Zoe Shannon, signed. ("Genesis")

Maddy Shannon describes it this way: "It's the probe! You know, the one they sent through when they first discovered the time fracture ... no one knew at first how far back the fracture went, or even where it led to. They sent this back with a beacon inside so that, you know, they could find it however many millions of years later. Only they never did. That's how they knew that they were dealing with a new time-stream."

In "Resistance", when Skye and Lucas are boarding the transport, shows that the stone pillar the probe had been resting on was knocked on its side when the Phoenix Group attacked Terra Nova, with the probe lying on the ground next to it. The probe does not appear to have suffered any visible damage.